A number of senior staff are reportedly dusting off their resumes as they prepare for lucrative jobs in the defence industry. Such a move has always been in the cards for some of the public servants and those in uniform involved in various aspects of buying billions of dollars worth of new equipment. Or if you will, spending billions of dollars of your tax dollars on new equipment.

But the latest move of senior Department of National Defence official John Turner direct to industry is being touted as a watershed moment for those military personnel and public servants seeking jobs in the private sector.

Turner is currently associate deputy minister at the Department of National Defence and from 2012 to 2015 was assistant deputy minister for materiel, an organization that oversaw the military’s project to acquire new search-and-rescue aircraft.

He has accepted a position with PAL Aerospace, a key partner in the Airbus consortium that on Dec. 8 was awarded the contract to provide the military with 16 new fixed wing search-and-rescue planes. The initial contract, including in-service support provided by PAL, is worth $2.4 billion. But eventually that could climb to $4.7 billion as long-term support, to be provided by PAL, is factored in to the deal, the federal government says.

DND officials confirm that Turner will go directly from the department to his new employment at PAL. Turner leaves his job at DND on March 17 and reports for work at PAL on April 3 as vice president of operations.

No waiting period.

Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson has given her approval to Turner’s plans. DND points out that Dawson sees nothing wrong with the move…no conflict of interest, either real or perceived, nothing.

The reason? Because Turner, even though he had responsibility for the search and rescue aircraft project as the specifications and other related aspects of the program were being put together, wasn’t involved directly in selecting the Airbus consortium as the winning bidder. That was done by the officials at Public Services and Procurement Canada.

This opens up a whole new level of opportunities for those in the Canadian military and the DND.

For instance, it follows that the project director of a multi-billion dollar equipment program could make the jump to any of the firms bidding on that project…..directly. There is no conflict of interest because Public Services and Procurement Canada will always be the organization that selects the winning bidder.

Dawson may have no objections to Turner’s move.

But the awarding of the fixed wing search-and -rescue contract to Airbus is now being challenged in Federal Court by the losing bidder, the Italian aerospace firm Leonardo. That was being done before the news of Turner’s departure emerged.

Sources say Leonardo may use Turner’s new job with PAL in its legal arguments that the contract was unfairly awarded to Airbus.

Leonardo’s legal action is aimed at having the court overturn the contract awarded to Airbus. It has argued that the Airbus plane, the C295W, is more costly than its C-27J aircraft and cannot adequately accomplish search and rescue missions, particularly in the Arctic.